An alternative pop rock band hailing from, San Jose, California,
Smash Mouth burst onto the music scene in 1994 and remains a popular novelty act to do this. The band, which was named after a phrase uttered by football coach Mike Ditka, was originally comprised of Steven Harwell (lead vocals), Greg Camp (guitar), Paul De Lisle (bass) and Kevin Coleman (drums). (The band has been through three drummers in the past, and their newest drummer, Jason Sutter, was hired to the band in March 2006.) After struggling for a few years on the local scene, Smash Mouth took off w
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hen area radio station KOME started playing what would be their breakthrough: "Nervous In The Alley" (Smash Mouth were the first unsigned band to receive regular rotation on the influential Modem Rock outlet). Soon thereafter, the quartet inked a deal with Interscope Records, which released their debut, Fush Yu Mang, in 1997. Behind extensive touring, several Smash Mouth songs from the album became hits, including Walkin' On The
Sun" and a cover of War's "Why Can't We Be Friends, pushing the disc to platinum sales. In 1999, the follow-up album, Astro Lounge, was introduced by the radio track "All Star," which began rocketing up Modern Rock charts. It would be the band’s most successful single.
In 2001, Smash Mouth’s cover of The Monkees’ song, “I’m A Believer” was featured on the soundtrack to the movie Shrek, but subsequent songs were not as popular. Though Smash Mouth is now once again, sort of an "
underground" band, they are probably in better shape than they have been in years. Fans are citing Summer Girl (2006) as largely a combination of Fush Yu Mang and Astro Lounge as the band's best material in years. This has a lot to do with the fact the band had switched labels and regained their own creative control. They are also now considered a part of 1990s nostalgia. Principal songwriter Greg Camp has said: We don't take ourselves totally seriously, but we do want people to know we actually work really hard at doing this, and sometimes the ups and downs can be tough to roll with." Smash Mouth fans hope their favorite band can continue to roll with the punches and come out on top.
